Thai Style Ratatouille (สไตล์ไทยแระทะทุย)

Ingredients

6             Thai red shallots (hɔ̌ɔm-dɛɛng หอมแดง)

4             cloves of garlic (grà~tiiam กระเทียม)

2             eggplants (má~kʉ̌ʉa มะเขือ)

3             zucchinis (bùuap-fà~ràng บวบฝรั่ง)

3             red capsicums (prík-yùuak พริกหยวก)

6             medium ripe tomatoes (má~kʉ̌ʉa-têet มะเขือเทศ)

               Bunch of fresh Thai basil (horapa) (hǒo-rá~paa โหระพา)

               Canola or sunflower oil (nám-man-pʉ̂ʉt น้ำมันพืช)

               A few sprigs of   fresh thyme or a teaspoon of dried thyme                          (dtôn-taam ต้นไทม์)

               400g tin tomatoes (má~kʉ̌ʉa-têet มะเขือเทศ)

1             tablespoon balsamic vinegar (nám-man-pʉ̂ʉt น้ำมันพืช)

1             tablespoon of Shao Hsing wine (waai jiin ไวน์จีน)

2             tablespoons of finely chopped kaffir lime leaves (bai-má~grùut                  ใบมะกรูด)

Method

Prep your ingredients before you start – peel and cut the shallots into wedges, then peel and finely slice the garlic. Trim the eggplant and zucchinis de-seed the capsicum and chop them all into 2.5cm chunks. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Pick the basil leaves and set aside, then finely slice the stalks.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large casserole pan or saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chopped eggplant, zucchinis and capsicum (you may need to do this in batches) and fry for around 5 minutes or until golden and softened, but not cooked through. Spoon the vegetables into a slow cooker.

To the pan, add the shallots, garlic, basil stalks and thyme with another drizzle of oil, if needed. Fry for 10 to 15 minutes, or until softened and golden. Place into the slow cooker and stir in the fresh and tinned tomatoes, the balsamic, Chinese wine and a good pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Mix well, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Cover the pan and slow cook for 6 hours, or until reduced, sticky and sweet. Tear in the basil leaves and add with kaffir lime and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Serve with a hunk of bread or steamed rice.

The secret of this dish is the slow cooking. It retains the soft texture of the eggplant, zucchini, capsicum and onions without turning them into softened mush. No chili in this dish to retain the authentic French style with just a touch of Thai.